These days, when a writer focuses on Psalm 46:10 and 1 Kings 19:12, heads up: a number of such writers are promoting mantra meditation (“contemplation”). Note that Psalm 46:10 does not mean, “There, there. Lull yourself into an altered state where you can really know God.” (And—if you keep this up—you’ll ultimately conclude that you ARE God.) The chapter’s context isn’t even about being quiet in the usual way; it’s more like Mark 4:39, when Jesus told the storm to shut up. In 1 Kings, Elijah didn’t perform a ritual that conjured a gentle whisper; the Lord initiated things. His time, his way. And the purpose can’t be to prove that God isn’t present amid noise. After all, this event occurred on the heels of a cacophonous drama, in which the Lord’s presence and power were awesomely manifested while Elijah, the prophets of Baal, a large crowd, and the Lord himself made all kinds of racket. Normal quiet time with God is great, but maybe we should hold Christian writers accountable when they use Scripture to peddle mysticism.
I’ve written in detail about this in a booklet titled Big Noisy God—Dispelling the Rumor That God Can Be Found “Only in the Silence.”
